Lara's and Sam's fluffy holidays
by Deberzer
Summary: Fluffy one shots for various holidays and other special events in London. - All stories are from Lara's POV
1. 24th December

Thanks so much to The Wistful Bloom and Sinopa Ariyana for beta reading and correcting a ton of mistakes.

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><p>"Ugh," I groaned, looking at the alarm clock next to my bed. 5:23 AM on Christmas Eve, and I had just woken from another horrible nightmare, drenched in my sweat. I rolled over and stared at the wall. The squeaking mattress sounded so loud in the otherwise silent flat. The only other sounds I could hear were those of the traffic outside. Other than that... nothing. Of course, I'd be all alone for Christmas. My parents... vanished or dead when I was still a child. Roth died in my arms a few months ago, because I'd lead us into the Dragon Triangle, and onto that bloody island. The frown on my face deepened with every thought.<p>

The only person left alive, the closest I had to family, was in Japan.

Sam.

Her father had asked her to spend the holidays with her family, and how could she refuse? Or, rather, how could I have let her refuse? How often did it happen that he asked her to spend time with him? She asked me if I wanted her to stay. When I told her to go, she'd asked to come with her, and she would have sweet-talked her father into allowing that... but I was just not up to dealing with a Nishimura Christmas. She had been gone for five days now, and I had been regretting my decision since she had left. Being alone again for so long, for the first time since... It was taking its toll on me.

Sam had been lovingly taking care of me; helping me deal with my injuries, calming me down when I had panic attacks, helping me sleep at night. I rarely seemed to have nightmares when I knew she was around. When I had mostly recovered, about two months ago, she started dragging me out of our flat again to have fun together. It was quite remarkable how she managed to cheer me up in all situations. But I thought she needed a break from being around me, so I let her go over Christmas.

I missed her.

Silence.

I was trying to fall asleep again, but something wouldn't let me. I wished Sam was there, cuddled up against me, snoring quietly into my shoulder. I would have had my arm around her, stroking her back slowly, planting a kiss on her head, taking in the scent of her hair. I smiled at the thought of that scene.

Sam. I loved her. Was I telling her that often enough? My smile faded. I missed her so much.

I hate Christmas.

I became restless in my bed. Bloody squeaking. I needed to do something, get out of here. I quickly put on clothes, grabbed my keys and some money just in case. But before leaving, my eyes rested on the little oblong package on the table in the living room. A present I'd bought for Sam a few days ago, on one of my long walks. How would she react to it? Worries started to seep into my mind. I shook myself out of it and left the flat for a jog. Dawn was still at least an hour away. The air was chilly, but it was not cold enough for snow, so the dark clouds up in the sky greeted me with a light drizzle. Oh god, perfect weather. I made a face, sighed, and started running. A couple passed me, strolling towards a bakery laughing. I looked at them and thought about Sam. I quickened my pace as I made my way through the streets. My mind started wandering off into all the dark corners of my memory yet again, filled with the horrible events of Yamatai. Sam abducted by the Solarii, the seemingly endless battle with the inhabitants of the island, and Mathias. Himiko. Pictures of people I killed floated through my head. I remembered again how that corpse tried to fill up Sam with its foul soul. I was still recovering from all of that when Sam got abducted yet again, this time because of me, by Solarii worshippers. They wanted to lure me back to Yamatai to sacrifice me, to resurrect Mathias. Crazy bastards. Then there was Danny, who shot me in the shoulder and made me jump off a cliff. My arm started aching at the thought of that. When my frown couldn't get any deeper, I tried to shake myself out of the dark passageways in my head, back into the real ones around me. Quietly, I cursed myself. Why do these memories always come rushing back when my mind is not occupied? Desperately needing other thoughts to fill it, I started wondering what Sam was doing. She was probably being her goofy, funny self, entertaining whoever she was with that moment, telling embarrassing stories and laughing, her eyes sparkling with the energy and enthusiasm, her lovely lips drawn up into a cheeky grin, loose strands of hair falling into her face. Sam.

Stopping dead in my tracks, I looked around. Where was I? Shit, I'd done it again. I'd gotten lost in my head. And, consequently, in my surroundings. My clothes were drenched from my sweat and the pouring rain the drizzle had turned into. How long had I been running? I was completely exhausted, my legs wobbly, my arms shaking. And this bloody headache. I was angry with myself. Luckily a nearby cab stopped for me. My body calmed down during the drive, and when I got out of the cab I was freezing cold. My shaking hands had trouble putting the keys into the lock. I grabbed my mobile off the desk in the living room, and looked at the screen – 10:41 AM. I threw it onto the couch and left small puddles on my way into the bathroom. After a long hot shower, I looked at myself in the mirror, fiddling with the leather string of the jade necklace I had put back around my neck. I could feel my mind slipping away again, until it was overshadowed by the grumbling in my stomach. I put on some dry clothes in my room and shuffled into the kitchen to open the fridge. Looking inside I let out a long sigh, grabbed some cold leftovers from the day before, and threw them into the microwave oven. I sank down onto the couch in the living room, typed 'Hey' into my mobile, and sent it Sam's way. I hoped she would be able to cheer me up. Half a minute later, my mobile buzzed. That lifted my spirits a bit.

"Hey urself! Whatchadoin"

"Oh... stuff."

"OMG I am so sorry for leaving you there alone :("

"I've survived worse ...I think. How are you?"

"fine fine, kinda bored, but I'll be a lot better soon, ho ho ho"

"Are you getting drunk?"

"HAH I'll tell you later. gotta go. love you!"

"Love you too. Miss you."

I looked at the screen with a smile on my face. When my arm fell back down, my eyes rested on the little package on the table again. I started to feel uneasy, and shifted around on the couch. Several moments later, I got up and into the kitchen to make some tea and to grab my measly meal. I shuffled back into my room to settle down at my desk. In front of me were mountains of documents, books, notes and random papers, all dedicated to my newest research project, and in a valley in the middle of it all my laptop. I piled up some books to make some space for my food and set to work.

Research, writing, reading, research, reading, writing... reading... writing... ... research ...

I was so tired from the lack of sleep I'd had these last few days.

I woke up suddenly, and looked sleepily at the mess on my table. "Ugh," I frowned, and my head dropped back down on the desk.


	2. 25th December

Thanks so much to The Wistful Bloom for beta reading and correcting a ton of mistakes.

This chapter contains minor adult, suggestive themes.

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><p>I woke again, to find myself in bed. Apparently, I'd also managed to sleep through most of the day, and well past the night. It was the first time since Sam had left that I'd had a restful sleep. I rolled around onto the other side and stared at...<p>

Sam?

She was lying next to me, her head rested in the crook of my arm, gently snoring into my side. What was she doing here? She wasn't supposed to come back for another few days. Had she abandoned her holidays from me and come back? Oh, Sam. I gently stroked her cheek and planted a kiss on her head, taking in the scent of her hair. A broad smile formed on my face and I settled back peacefully into the pillow, watching Sam sleep.

When I came to again, Sam was looking at me with a dreamy smile, still lying on my shoulder.

"Hey, babe," she said and gently pulled my head down into a kiss. "Good morning."

"This morning couldn't be any better," I whispered smiling. Then, raising an eyebrow I asked "What are you doing here, though?"

"What? Not happy to see me?" She raised her eyebrows and pouted. I rolled my eyes at that. "I felt so bad about leaving you here over Christmas. You know what? Screw dad, I missed you. I was already at the airport when you messaged me yesterday. And..." she rolled on top of me, put her arms around my head and leant in for another firm kiss. "Oh. My. Gooood. I missed your lips."

I couldn't believe this girl. Despite the fact that I had recovered from my injuries months ago, I had still felt like I had been a burden to her for a long time. I had tried to give her some space and some time without me, yet she had come back to me because she'd missed me. I held her head in my hands, stroking her cheeks with my thumbs. "I love you, Sam. So much. You know that, right?"

She gave me a mischievous smile and looked at me with heavy lidded eyes. "Hmmm, I don't know, you might have to show me what you mean."

I smacked her arm slightly and pulled her down again, smiling. Our lips parted slightly and our tongues kept touching while I explored every bit of Sam's gentle lips. I loved to do that.

After a few minutes she pulled back, breathless, and whispered "I love you more than you could ever know. You're incredible." I laughed softly, but the way she looked at me told me how sincere she was. She kissed my nose, my cheek and down my neck, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head on my chest. She had a smile on her face. "And you're hot." After a pause she whispered "What did I do to deserve you?"

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Are you kidding me? I was a complete mess. Twice. But you stuck with me, through everything. There is no way I would have recovered if it hadn't been for you. What did I do to deserve you?"

She looked up at me. "To be honest... You don't know how good it felt being needed by you for a change, and not vice-versa. You saved me three times now! Oh, my god."

"And I'd do it again, as often as necessary."

We were lying there for a few minutes when suddenly she got up and sat down on my thighs with a look on her face as if she'd just remembered something very important. "So, like, merry Christmas!" She spread out her arms and added with a grin, "I have presents for you!" She got out of bed and traipsed into the living room in her pyjamas. Of course she'd have presents for me. She loved to go on her shopping sprees, and if she had planned to fly back to London for Christmas, there was obviously no chance that she wouldn't have taken the opportunity to visit half the shops in Tokyo to buy something for me. Curious, I got out of bed and followed her. There was a little tower of packages in various sizes piled on top of the table. Sam was kneeling on the ground behind it all, grinning with anticipation.

"Go on," she said, pointing at the presents. I took the smallest one from the top of the pile and opened it. Inside was a scrunchy that looked like red and silver Christmas tree tinsel. I rolled my eyes and Sam laughed at my reaction. When I was about to put it back down on the table, she looked at me sheepishly and said "C'mon, Lara. I knoooow you want to use it. Pleeeeaase?"

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow but she kept staring at me with that pleading look. That's Sam for you, giving me a present that she found funny, making me use it for her own amusement. But I wanted her to be happy, so I took my own scrunchy out of my hair and while I was still doing that, Sam stood up, took hers out of the box and walked up behind me. She carefully remade the braid with the tinsel and took a step away, probably pleased with herself. I sighed. She stepped towards me, wrapped her arms around me, and planted a kiss on my neck. I could feel her grin.

"Go on," she said into my ear and gestured towards the remaining presents.

Next up were a few boxes with different sweets and candies, and a bundle of Jaffa Cakes. At the bottom of the mountain were two larger presents. One turned out to be a compact first aid kit. What a _lovely_ present, but it made me laugh. "I'm pretty sure you're going to need that more than the other presents," was her comment, "and it will fit nicely into your backpack." I couldn't argue with that.

The last one was a notebook with leather cover, and my name engraved into the side. "You know, I thought maybe it's time you made your own, instead of staring at your father's." That... was actually quite nice of her. I could get very lost in my archaeological studies and research, and Sam always tried to pull me out of it to relax and have fun with her. It sometimes made me feel like she disapproved of my passion. Yet... there were these moments and gestures where she showed how supportive she actually was – besides the fact that she always insisted on sticking to me like a limpet when I went on archaeological trips.

I turned around and drew Sam into a long hug. "Thank you so much, Sam."

Now that I had been through all her presents, I guessed it was my turn. I got nervous. I actually had two presents for her, one more awkward than the other. And the combination of both... My cheeks turned red. But I had been sure Sam would appreciate those gifts. I pulled out of the hug a bit and whispered "I may have a present or two for you, as well."

Sam looked surprised and then suspicious. We hadn't planned on giving each other presents for Christmas, since we had known that Sam would be in Japan without me for a while. "Besides hot and completely badass, are you psychic, too? Did you expect me to be here today?"

"Yes." I mystically moved my arms in the air before tapping her gently on the nose. "Of course not. I planned on giving them to you whenever you came back. Wait here a moment." I walked back into my room. "No peeking!" I closed the door and leaned against it. I felt my heart pounding at the thought of the presents I planned on giving Sam. I was so nervous. The day after Sam had left, I'd been thinking about what I could give a girl who could afford absolutely anything. I knew she wished I'd try to be a bit sexier. I figured I could give it at least half a try, just for her. So I'd entered a clothing store, alone - which didn't happen very often since Sam had practically been doing my shopping for a while now – and bought this skimpy black thong underwear. It was nothing lacy or fancy, but I was sure it would be an unusual sight on me, one Sam would appreciate.

I took it out of my cupboard with a worried look and held it in front of me. I let out a deep sigh, threw it onto my bed and undressed myself. I stepped into the panties, pulled them up and the thong slid in between my buttocks. Certainly not a feeling I was used to. I hooked up my bra, and then worriedly smoothed my attire down. I went up to the door and stopped, putting my forehead against it, drawing slow breaths and trying to muster the courage to step out of the room. This was ridiculous. I had survived Yamatai twice, but was worried about presenting myself in some skimpy underwear to Sam, who saw me naked regularly. I heard Sam walk up to the other side of the door.

"Lara, are you OK?"

I smiled at her concern. Not wanting to worry her any further, I took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped out. I watched her expression closely. Her look went from surprise to a growing smile, and eventually a lip-bite. My cheeks felt like they were on fire. "Oh, Lara..." she said, a little breathless.

"Ta da!" I did a quick twirl.

"Oh, my God." was her assessment. I think she was actually close to drooling. A fraction of a second later, she had me pinned against the door, her lips pressed against mine and her hands grabbing my naked behind. There was pure hunger in that kiss. I liked that I was able to make her feel that way. That actually got me going as well. Her hands started sliding up the sides of my body, and it was obvious where this would have been going if this had kept up, but I had to try to stop her. I still had to, somehow, give her my second present – which required a lot more courage. I tried to gently push her away, but she wouldn't let go. I pushed a bit harder and whispered "Sam..." into her lips.

She reluctantly stopped and looked at me, flustered. She said in a small voice "Lara, you can't stand there like that and then not let me have some."

I smiled at her. "I have one more present for you."

She looked at me for a moment suspiciously. "Now I'm worried. If you decided to show me this first, then what on earth could you want to give me now? I don't think I can take more than that."

I grinned slightly, went over to the table and lifted up the little oblong box that had been lying there for a few days now. I hesitated for a moment before turning around and holding the box out to her, trying hard to maintain a poker face. Sam walked slowly towards me, her eyes darting between my face, the box and my cleavage. She slowly took the box out of my hand, her eyes fixed on mine, trying to read my expression. My heart was pounding and, despite the fact that it was December, and bloody cold outside, and I was standing here in skimpy underwear, I was starting to sweat. She opened the box and studied the little golden pendant that was inside. It had Japanese motifs engraved on it, and was a small locket a small picture could be put inside. "This looks really pretty," she said, apparently still wondering if there was more to it, judging by her suspicious look. I stepped up to her, took it out of the box and put the chain around her neck. She looked down at the pendant and lifted it closer to her eyes. I wrapped my arms around her from behind and rested my head on her shoulder, closely watching her hands. She started fiddling around with the pendant. Suddenly it sprang open, and she held up the golden ring inside.

I heard her gasp and then whisper "Oh... God..."

My cheeks were burning red when I let go of her to walk around and sink down to my knees in front of her. What had I been thinking? When had I decided this was a good idea? To kneel in front of Sam in skimpy underwear - and a tinsel scrunchy in my hair - on Christmas Day and propose to her? But I wanted her. I wanted her for myself for the rest of our lives. She was my family and I wanted to show that to her as clearly as possible. As ridiculous as I thought this scene must have looked, I was... somewhat... sure I was pushing the right buttons. I started getting second thoughts again, though. What if this was not what she wanted? What if she refused and things got awkward between us? But it was too late for that now.

Sam just gaped at me with what looked like a hint of worry, while her eyes started swimming. With furrowed brows, I tried to force myself to say something, despite the lump in my throat: "Sam..."

But before I could continue, she instantly said "Yes. Lara, yes!" With shaking hands she put the ring on her finger and she threw herself at me. She wrapped her arms around me, pressed my body into hers as strongly as she could, and started crying into my shoulder. It took a while for the thought to sink into my mind that everything actually had worked out the way I had hoped. I relaxed my head against hers and gently stroked her back, tears running down my cheeks as well. When I started to kiss her neck, I heard her laugh in between her whimpers.

"Lara, was your plan to kill me with affection? Whatever made you think I deserved the death penalty!" That made me laugh. After a pause she added weakly "God, this was a complete overload on my mind. You are merciless."

"I'm... sorry?"

She snorted. "You are totally not." She leaned back to look at me with the broadest smile she could achieve, tears still on her cheeks. I reached up to wipe them away with my thumbs and she instantly leaned in to press her lips against mine. It quickly developed into one of the most passionate kisses we'd shared in a long time. When we parted after what felt like forever, we took a while to catch our breath. Her eyes rested on mine for a minute, and then travelled down to my cleavage and back up. "I am... unbelievably happy right now, but also incredibly turned on. You still have to let me appreciate your first present. Properly." She said with a grin and wiggled her eyebrows. I laughed once and placed a kiss on her forehead with a smile. Somehow, I managed to stand up, even though my legs felt like pudding. After I helped her up, she took a long and deep breath and darted into my room, pulling me with her.

I love Christmas.


	3. 31st December

Thanks a ton again to The Wistful Bloom for beta reading and fixing a lot of stuff!

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><p>The encouraging words of the lovely beta readers of my Christmas Story inspired me to give writing another go. I might continue this holiday fluff. But the next "holiday" worth writing about that I know of seems to be Valentine's Day, which is also Lara's birthday. So, I guess, there won't be any update for a while. Anyway. Happy New Year! Enjoy.<p>

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><p>Contains adult suggestive themes.<p>

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><p>"Oh, god. No! Not again!"<p>

Sam had just come back from buying us something for brunch, and was holding out the New Year's Eve edition of a newspaper towards me. Apparently, it was looking on the most important events of the year. I was staring at myself from the front page. The Lara in the picture looked like she wanted to jump out of the paper and kill me with her bare hands. It was one of a multitude of awful pictures that had been taken when we had reached the shores of Osaka, after Yamatai. People probably thought I was crazy, with the way I had reacted to the reporters. Well, at times _I _had thought I'd been crazy. The whole Yamatai ordeal had become big news around the world, and more than a few newspapers were eager to bully me. Reporters had followed us around everywhere. But due to my injuries and... other problems... I had rarely left our flat, and had rarely encountered them. At some point, the interest in us had ebbed away, but the damage had been done. Some people were outright afraid of me, and shouted nasty remarks after me. Some of the most humiliating moments of my life had been in those first few months after coming back. And if people were reminded by these newspapers...

I groaned and put my head in my hands.

"I'm engaged to a celebrity!" Sam faked a smug look.

It took a moment for her words to sink in. "No, Sam! If they hear about that, they'll be all over us again."

For a moment, neither of us said anything.

"Are you regretting our engagement?" I heard her whisper.

"What? No!" I quickly raised my head, looking at her worriedly and... she was _grinning_ at me. I groaned and put my head back into my hands. I felt the couch give as Sam sat down beside me.

"Hey, sweetie. It'll be okay. We'll go out, get wasted, and enjoy ourselves. And if some ass can't shut up, you'll knock him out. With, like, a finger." She threw an arm around my shoulders and leant against me.

I had promised her that we'd go to some club tonight, and enjoy ourselves. And at midnight, we'd watch the fireworks at the Thames together. Even though I'd rather have stayed at home after seeing the newspaper, I couldn't really say _no_ now. She was really looking forward to it.

I sighed.

"Lara, trust me. It'll be okay." She gave me one of those really loving smiles, and I was instantly distracted from my worries. I didn't care any more about the prospects of having to endure the stares of strangers everywhere. God, she was so beautiful. This beautiful smile, on her beautiful face, with her beautiful lips and her beautiful eyes... _My_ beautiful Sam. I just wanted to...

I'm not sure what it was, but something, seemingly, had changed since I'd proposed to her. I had loved her before. I'd found her beautiful and charming, and caring and lovely and... I'd been really attracted to her. But everything seemed more intense now. Maybe this was how she had felt about me, for who knows how long. There had been moments where she'd been watching me, and I could see it on her face- she looked ready to pounce. Or where we'd kissed for a bit, and I could almost feel her mind already going a lot further, while I hadn't actually been interested in anything more.

I'm sure I was blushing while she stroked my cheek affectionately. "Okay..." I whispered.

Her face lit up. "Lara, you're the best." She announced, and kissed me on the head. She stood up and clapped her hands once. "I'm starving. Let's eat!" She grabbed the bag she'd brought with her and went into the kitchen. I followed to watch her spreading out bagels, croissants and some muffins on the table. I felt my stomach grumble. Apparently, she'd also bought herself a cup of coffee and for me one with juice. I made a face but decided not to comment. When I sat down and started eating, Sam was already absently nibbling on a croissant while fiddling with her mobile phone.

"So... It looks like that club nearby is having a New Year's Eve party. Entrance from nine onwards. Hm..." Having finished her croissant, she moved on to a muffin. "You know, it has a restaurant, a bar and several dance floors. It's perfect. We can eat dinner there, get you drunk, and then make everyone jealous 'cause we'll be the hottest pair on the dance floor. It's gonna be awesome." She narrowed her eyes at her mobile. She looked up at me, seemingly deep in thought, and then back down.

"Sam?" I asked, puzzled.

She put the mobile down on the table. Taking a bite of her muffin, she gave me a grin. "Dress code _'stylishly sexy'_."

I sighed. "Can't we go somewhere else? Somewhere where you can't play dress-up with me?"

Her grin did not disappear. "_No._ I already ordered a table, and I am sooo not missing out on a chance to get you into something skimpy."

I rolled my eyes, sighing again.

She watched me for a moment, and then walked around the table to sit down on my lap. "Lara..." She tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. "You need to relax. C'mon, it's gonna be fun. We'll find you something nice to wear. Actually, you could wear a plastic bag, and I'd still find you sexy." She grinned at me, winding her arms around my neck. She kissed me affectionately, while absently playing with my braided hair. My stomach was full of butterflies. I always loved the feeling of her soft lips on mine. She broke the kiss to change her position, straddling my lap. While doing that, for a moment that seemed too long to be pure chance, her breasts hovered in front of my face. That... was turning _me_ on. I felt the strong need to put them into my hands and lean forward. But before I could do anything, she sat down on my lap again and continued kissing me. I may have responded a bit too vigorously. She broke the kiss to look at me, both flustered and a bit surprised. "Woah, I think you need to finish eating brunch, or you're going to eat me." I watched her stand up, grab a bagel, and then walk towards the living room, humming cheerfully. I was a little disappointed.

"Maybe we should go for a walk to the Nine Bells in the afternoon, to loosen you up a bit for the evening. And I'm sure Mr. Ansell would be happy to see you again." Sam called from the living room.

"Which he'd express with a cheerful grunt," I replied, and she snorted.

I finished eating and went to leave the kitchen when Sam added more quietly "And maybe I'll get you into that underwear you wore on Christmas." _Oh, god. _I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Sam, I heard that."

"_Shit._" She hissed.

I entered the living room to see Sam sitting on the couch, looking at me sheepishly. I squinted at her. "No." She kept looking at me. "Sam, _no_."

She rolled her eyes. "We'll see what you say when we're back from the bar." She winked at me.

I sighed and joined her on the couch. Sam took the remote control for the TV from the table and crawled behind me, pulling me back to lean against her. "Can we watch something and relax? We'll need our energy for the evening."

"_You _need _your_ energy, you mean," I said, turning my head sideways so that I could see her.

She gave me a look and poked my shoulder. "Not everyone can be a fitness freak like you. Though, those muscles of yours are incredibly sexy." She wiggled her eyebrows and pulled me into a kiss. _Those lips. _I sighed happily into her. She opened my mouth with her lips, as I put a hand behind her head and pressed her against me. She dropped the remote, gently putting a hand on my waist, sliding it underneath my shirt. She slowly moved over my belly, up my ribcage, to the hem of my bra. I inhaled sharply as she cupped my breast and thumbed across my nipple, over the material of the bra. Though, a moment later, she pulled away. She kissed me on the forehead, settled back into the couch, and pulled me back to lean against her again. "Let's see what's on." She said cheerfully, picking the remote back up and turning the TV on.

I just stared into space, blushing. What had just happened? What was she doing? Why had she stopped so suddenly? I was about to ask, when I saw what was on the telly. Even the TV was recounting the major events of the year. And, of course, they showed me. Footage of me getting transported into a hospital on a stretcher. I groaned and pleaded. "Sam, please."

"Sorry." She planted a kiss on the top of my head and zapped through TV channels. She eventually settled on a reality show. I knew what was about to happen. Sam started complaining about details in the production of the show. She was a nerd when it came to things like that. But it had something soothing to it, her talking enthusiastically over the sound of the TV. She had one arm wrapped around my middle, hugging me against her. Her other hand kept wandering, stroking my hair, my cheeks or my neck. When she didn't speak, she rested her head on mine. It was so peaceful... and relaxing.

_I love you, Sam._

…..

I must have had dozed off. When I opened my eyes, I was lying on the couch, tucked into a blanket. I looked around. The living room was empty and silent. The TV was turned off.

"Sam?"

I propped myself up on an arm and listened for while. Nothing. I flopped back down on the couch, put an arm over my eyes, and sighed. I really didn't want to be alone right now. When I wasn't distracted, my mind tended to start wandering, which usually meant my mind crept into dark corners. Considering the newspaper and TV coverage I'd been confronted with earlier... I was just not up for that. Flopping my legs over the edge of the couch, I sat there for a moment, my head in my hands. I frowned. What could I do to distract myself? Maybe jog? I still hadn't finished the research I started before Christmas. There was also this paper for the British Museum that needed to be done within the next two weeks. But I was spiritless. It felt as if the worries that had been occupying my mind all morning had consumed my energy. Worries about the upcoming evening, about a nightclub full of people, about strangers recognizing me, about them shouting at me. Who knew what could happen?

"Sam...?" I was surprised at how desperate my voice sounded.

I sighed deeply, and didn't move for a few minutes. Eventually, I managed to get up, and decided to take a shower. The water hitting my skin was unexpectedly cold.

I was suddenly in a small room, surrounded by cold salt water, hammering against a tiny, round window. I needed help. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't speak- I couldn't breathe! I had to open this bloody door. I had to get out of the room, before I drowned. But the door wouldn't budge. It was jammed. I kept hammering at the window, desperate for air. My hands were aching. My movements were sluggish, my arms going limp. No. _No! _This couldn't be happening! Air... I needed air...

I slowly sank down, ebbing away from the door. It was so cold. So cold...

Suddenly the door sprang open and a strong arm grabbed mine, pulling me up. I emerged from the water, desperately gasping for air. I coughed and coughed, water pouring out of my mouth.

"_Lara! Hurry up!_"

I could hardly see, everything was so hazy. I knew I needed to run. I needed to get out of here. But my limbs felt numb, my body was shaking. I was so cold. I crawled forward, driven by some strange spurt of power. Eventually, I managed to get up, and started walking. Running. Sprinting. Suddenly the ground ended, a large gap of nothingness in front of me.

"_Lara, jump!_"

I could make out someone standing on the other side of the chasm, an arm extended. The figure looked familiar. Seeing it caused a spark of hope to crackle inside me. I could make it. I knew it. I kept running to the edge of the chasm and jumped with all the power I could muster. I was flying. Beneath me was nothing but blackness. I was panicking. I tried to reach out for the figure on the other side, extending my arms as far as possible. Please. _Please!_ _Help me! _A familiar, firm grip enclosed around my hand. My body swung forward from the momentum, colliding with something solid. Pain shot through my nerves. They desperately tried to hold onto me, but my hand was wet and slippery.

Then, I fell.

"_Lara!_"

I fell into the darkness below. The familiar figure disappeared from my sight, and with it the spark of hope. It was replaced by panic. What was happening? Suddenly, I hit something. Pain shot through me. Cold wetness was surrounding me again. I gasped from the shock. But instead of air, I inhaled water. Strong currents jerked me back and forth. I didn't know whether I was going up or down. I needed air. I needed to breathe. I needed help. _Help! _I tried to scream, but I could only splutter out gasps as my head went back under. I didn't know what to do. I frantically moved my arms and legs, to no avail. My heart was pounding, my body shaking, my throat throbbing. I was powerless. My energy drained. Air spent.

Blackness.

I came to when my shoulder hit something. I desperately gasped for air. I kept coughing and gasping violently, tears in my eyes. I felt ground beneath me. After a few minutes, I managed to steady my breathing. I opened my eyes, but everything was still hazy. _Help?! _My view cleared slowly, and I realized I was staring at stony ground below me, my arms shaking at the edges of my vision. I slowly rose my head and looked around. Where was I? Where was everyone else? Something bright was in the distance. I squinted at it. I could make out several figures standing in the light. Who were they? They looked familiar. Very familiar. _Sam?_

"Sam? Sam! SAM!" I cried and cried. Please, hear me! Please! _Please!_ "Saaaam!"

"Lara? Lara! I'm here, I'm here!"

I could feel a hand on my shoulder. It was so warm and gentle, so comforting, so familiar. I closed my eyes for a moment, relieved. When I opened them again, I was curled up in the shower. My body was shaking heavily. I was so cold. Unbearable pain was pulsing through my head.

I hadn't gone through a memory like that in a long time. Which meant that when I did have one, it surprised me more than usual, and felt even more devastating.

Sam was kneeling beside me, hugging me and rubbing my back gently. Her clothes were wet from the water on my skin. Occasional drips from the shower head fell onto her back. "Oh, Lara," she whispered.

I felt so miserable. I hated it. I hated all of it. Stupid flashbacks. How painful they were. How devastated I always felt afterwards. I hated pulling Sam into it, throwing all of my problems onto her. I made her worry all of the time. "I'm sorry, Sam..." I muttered, frowning, "I am so, so sorry. I'm such a wreck."

"It's okay, sweetie. It's okay." She sat down against the wall of the shower and pulled me up into a firm hug, my head resting on her shoulder. Sam's gentle presence made me relax. My headache and shaking ebbed away, my breathing steadied. She kissed my temple, my ear, down my neck and along my shoulder. And with that, all the discomfort from the flashback's aftermath vanished. Sam was unbelievable. I was so lucky to have her. I was _so happy_ to have her.

"I love you so much, Sam," I told her.

She stopped kissing me. "I love you, too, sweetie."

I paused for a moment and then whispered "You poor thing."

She just laughed once, but didn't say anything. We rested there for a few minutes, hugging. When I finally regained my strength, Sam helped me up, and we stepped out of the shower. My eyebrows went up as I looked her up and down. "I'm sorry about your clothes," I told her and lifted a sleeve of her shirt, only to have it cling to her skin. Though, I had to admit, she looked very sexy in wet clothes. I felt a warmth build up in my cheeks.

"Worth it," she replied with a mischievous look, looking at my naked body. My blush deepened. For a moment, she just stood there, looking at me, her own cheeks turning pink. And then she stepped in and pulled me into a kiss. This time, she was almost as vigorous as I had been earlier, and it was quite a turn on. Her lips parted mine, her tongue entering my mouth. Her hands moved all over the naked skin of my back, groping at my arse. I wrapped my arms around her, pressing her into me. A moment later, her hands moved up to my waist, backing me up against the tiled wall of the bathroom. She pressed one of her legs between my thighs, and rubbed. It made me take a sharp breath. She kissed along my chin, up one cheek, then back down to my neck. I was breathing so quickly, her hands moving up my ribcage to cup my breasts. Her kisses moved along my collarbone, and down the middle of my chest. Before her mouth could reach my breasts, she stopped and whispered quickly "_Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god."_ I looked down at her, to see she was scrunching her face up, eyes closed. She didn't move at all.

"Sam?" I asked, confused and completely flustered.

She sighed, released my breasts, and straightened her back. "I... I'll get you fresh clothes." With that, she stormed out of the bathroom, leaving me standing against the tiles with a strange tingling between my thighs. What on earth was up with her? Why was she doing that?

When she returned, wearing dry clothes herself, I was still leant against the wall. She held out a bundle of clothes for me, desperately trying to avoid looking at my naked body. I wanted to know what was wrong. "Sam, wha-"

She interrupted me. "You know, I think now would be a pretty good time to go for that walk to the Nine Bells." Sam stated, as flatly as she could. Her cheeks were still flushed red. When I took the clothes, she turned and left the bathroom.

Sam was right; alcohol sounded good right now.

We left our flat and walked down the streets towards the bar, holding hands. It was late afternoon, and the weather hadn't changed much since Christmas. But at least it hadn't rained for the past two days. Still, the sky was grey, and London was gloomy. The West End is always a busy area, but since it was New Year's Eve, more people than usual were out on the streets.

While we walked in silence, I tried to figure out why Sam had been avoiding throwing herself at me all day. She'd got going, and then suddenly stopped. Had she been teasing me? I wondered if I had done anything to upset her. A familiar frown crept back onto my face. I just did not understand. The past week had been quiet, and lovely. Sam had seemed to be so overjoyed about the proposal that she couldn't do anything but grin for days. I'd been afraid her face would stick that way.

Sam was looking at me, and she saw my frown. She released my hand and wrapped an arm around my waist instead, putting her hand into the pocket of my coat and hugging me closer to her. She kissed my cheek once, and then looked ahead again. I followed suit and hugged her back. My mind wanted to trail off, to just enjoy the moment, but I couldn't stop wondering about her odd behaviour earlier. When we walked around a corner, coming close to the Nine Bells, I had to try asking her again. "Sam," I began, and she looked at me.

But, before I could continue, I was interrupted once again. "Hey! Aren't you that Croft bitch?" A gruff voice, that sounded quite drunk, shouted from the other side of the street. Another drunken voice laughed. Sam and me looked around and saw two bulky men lurching over to us. They were both clearly taller than us. The few other people that were walking down the street looked quizzically at them and us.

"Ignore them. Let's keep going, please," Sam whispered in a worried tone, and shoved me forwards. Even though I let her lead me, I tried to turn my head to see the men. I didn't like surprises.

They quickened their pace to catch up with us from behind. "Hey! I was talking to you!" One of them shouted. "I bet someone as famous as her gotta have a lotta cash," the other suggested, to which the first grinned. "You have the money. I get the girl."

"Hey! Gimme your purses!" The second man said.

I felt Sam was about to start running away, but I was sure that would just fuel their anger and they could try to hurt her. _No bloody way!_ I was not going to let that happen. I had to stop them before they could get to her. I released my arm from Sam and instantly she darted forwards. Just a moment later, one of the guys had caught up with me and wanted to follow Sam. I rammed one of my legs into his, making him swear out loud and fall flat onto the pavement. When Sam heard that, and noticed that I wasn't following her, she turned around, looking at me in surprise. I felt a violent grip on my shoulder. The other guy had caught up. I grabbed his arm and jerked him forwards, pulling him towards me. I brought a knee up into his stomach. With him bent over my leg, I brought my elbow down on the back of his head. He fell to the ground, groaning.

"Lara! Behind you!" I heard Sam's cry out, when I was about to turn around and check on the first guy. I winced and gasped as his fist connected with my back.

"Lara! No!" Sam sounded horrified.

He'd gotten up faster than I had expected, and was not as drunk as I'd thought. I threw my elbow backwards, hoping I would hit him, and actually caught him on the sternum. I took the opportunity to turn towards him, and bringing my leg up between his legs. He screamed and bent over, giving me the opportunity to grab a handful of his hair and bring his face down onto my knee. I released my grip, and he fell flat on the ground once again. I looked down at them and saw that neither of them was standing up again. _Not bad. _I must have looked smug at that moment. I took a look around, and noticed that the other bystanders on the street were gaping at me with their mobile phones pointed into my direction, taking pictures and filming. I turned around and walked away when Sam came running towards me.

"Lara! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine." I waved my hand dismissively at her. A bruise was bound to show up later, my elbows feeling a bit numb, and my fingers tingling. But I didn't care about that. "Sam, you're safe. That's all that matters."

Sam gave me a concerned look. "I'm going to go mad, constantly worrying about you!" But then she grinned and added, "but that was _totally_ amazing. I am so fangirling over you right now." She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me affectionately. I heard whistles around us, and more clicking noises from several mobile phones. I knew I should have been concerned about that, but I didn't care at that moment. All I could concentrate on were Sam's soft lips. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her. She dragged her lips away from mine and kissed along my cheek towards my ear to whisper into it. "I love you so much, Lara."

Remembering the drunkards, I pulled myself away from her. "We should go." Turning my head backwards to take a look at the two guys, I added, "Before they stand up again." Though both of them were still laying on the ground, groaning. We wrapped our arms back around each other's waists and continued our walk towards the Nine Bells. Sam grinned smugly at someone we passed, who was still filming us with his mobile.

A few minutes later, we entered the pub. It hadn't changed at all since the last time I'd been there, which was when I'd still been working at the bar. The air was as smoky and thick as ever, with a strong scent of alcohol. Several groups of people sat around tables, talking animatedly or watching the large, mounted TV. Charlie, the proprietor, waved us over to the bar. "Lara! Long time no see." A few of the patrons in the pub turned towards us, giving us curious looks. But most of the people simply ignored us, as they did everything else. He placed two large pints in front of us. "On the house," he said, with a smile showing from under his beard.

"Thank you, Mr. Ansell." Sam said, cheerfully, and raised her glass to take a mouthful.

"Hey, Sam. Good to see you, too" Charlie said to her with a nod, while wiping the bar clean with a cloth.

I put my hands around the pint in front of me and looked around the pub. A lot of memories were connected to this place. I'd been working for quite a long time here when I was still studying. At first, Charlie had refused my application. He hadn't believed I could handle it. But I was stubborn. I'd needed the money to help with paying for the rent, and for university. Eventually he'd given in, and it hadn't taken long for him to realize that I could look after myself.

Charlie pulled me out of my memories. "You certainly look a lot better now than you did earlier, on TV." I looked up at him, then over at the TV, and back down to my pint.

"Ugh. Please don't remind me." I said with a frown.

"I guess you take good care of her, eh?" He asked Sam. "Or," he paused. With a raised eyebrow I looked up at him. His eyes focused on the ring on my finger, "maybe someone else does? Who's the lucky guy?"

Sam giggled. I looked down at my beer again and blushed. "Yes, who's the lucky guy, Lara? Can I meet him? He must be sooo amazing, if you said yes to him!" Sam said. She could hardly suppress her laughter.

I shoved her. "Sam!" I wasn't sure if I was up for that at that moment. I took a sip of my drink, refusing to talk.

He looked quizzically at both of us. He was curious enough to stop cleaning the bar.

Sam's grin was ear-to-ear. "Oh, I am soooo curious!" She said and slowly put her left hand on the bar, for Charlie to see, and took a big sip from her pint as well.

Charlie had to do a double take, his eyes darting between Sam and me, and the rings on our hands. "Seriously?"

Sam put her glass back down on the bar and took my head into her hands instead. She made me look at her. "Yes, seriously," she said in the lowest register of her voice and kissed me. I tried to shove her away and tell her to stop, but my attempts were muffled by her mouth on mine. She just smiled into my lips while holding my head in place. I slipped a hand under her coat on to her waist and tickled her. That made her stop, bursting into laughter.

"Oh my god, Sam!" I said to her, blushing deeply. We'd drawn the attention of a fair few patrons by now.

"You two are a riot! Well, congratulations! " Charlie said with a broad smile. He clapped both of us on the shoulder before refilling our glasses. "I'd been wondering if there was something going on between you two."

When he wasn't serving, the three of us chatted cheerfully while Sam and me drank. Deciding not to overdo it, we said our goodbyes once we'd finished, and promised to come by again soon.

It was dark outside now. We decided to take another route back to avoid bumping into the drunkards again. We made our way through the hustle and bustle of all the cafés, bars and restaurants, and got home without incident.

The moment we entered our flat, Sam darted into her room. "We should get ready now and head for the club. I'm starving! And I totally can't wait to get you on the dance floor." I sighed at that, standing awkwardly in the living room, not exactly knowing what to do. "I bought you something to wear tonight when I was out, and..." She paused. She left her room and came back to me. "God, Lara. I am so sorry I left you alone." She looked sad, her brows furrowed.

I put a hand on her cheek, gently stroking it. "Sam, it's okay. It's not like it was your fault. That bloody shower... It was stupid. I should have tested the water before just going straight in. It shocked me how cold it was." I shrugged at her.

She slipped her arms around me and hugged me gently. "It... It breaks my heart to hear you scream, and see you suffer like that."

Hearing her say that hurt. I... I wasn't sure how to reply to that. I hated to make her feel like that. _I _had been the reason that _she_ had suffered, when all I wanted was for her to be happy... To be happy with me. "I am so, so sorry, Sam." My eyes were swimming with tears.

"No, no. It's okay. I'm here for you. _I want _to be here for you." She kissed me gently and then looked at me, sighing. After a moment, the sadness vanished from her expression and turned into a smile instead. She planted a kiss on my forehead. "Now, let's get ready. They'll cancel the reservation if we don't show up." She turned back towards her room. "Now, where was I? Oh yeah, I bought you something." She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the room with her. When we stopped in front of her bed, my eyebrows shot up. I gaped down at a short black dress with a deep V-cut.

I looked at Sam, slightly horrified. "You're not serious."

She just grinned. Suddenly, she looked like she remembered something. She gave a little gasp and hurried into my room. I looked after her, and then back down at the dress. I frowned. I really did not feel comfortable in dresses. Especially not in dresses Sam liked. And doubly so in those she liked on me. I was still trying to figure out a way to talk her into returning the dress, and letting me wear my casual clothes, when she returned... holding up the black thong panties I had bought for Christmas.

I sank down on her bed, head in my hands. "Oh, god."

Sam climbed onto the bed behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Pleeeaaaase? Just this once? It'll be dark in the club, anyway. But you will look _sooo_ sexy... Woah, I think I am drooling just at the thought of it." She added whispering "And you know you can't say no to me, anyway." I knew she was grinning at that moment. The problem was that she was right. It was always hard to say no to her. I was pretty sure she'd bought that dress knowing that. I sighed heavily in resignation and Sam knew what that meant.

She kissed my neck, and I could feel the smile on her lips. Her hands slipped under my shirt. I had no idea how she was doing that, but no matter how cold it was, her hands were always nicely warm. It was always exhilarating to feel them gently touch my skin. She kissed up my neck and started gently nibbling on my earlobe, while her hands moved slowly up my body, pulling my shirt up. My breathing quickened. Sam's lips had moved on to kissing my cheek, her hands coming to a halt. She couldn't pull my shirt up any further without me raising my arms. In one fluid movement, her hands moved over my bra, unclipped it, and slid back to my chest to cup my breasts. I took a sharp breath before sighing. Sam stopped kissing my skin and moved her hands under my arms, indicating for me to raise them. When I did that, she pulled both the shirt and the bra over my head and arms and placed them behind her. She moved back in to kiss the other side of my neck, and fill her hands with my breasts. She kneaded them and pinched my nipples gently, making me groan. I could feel Sam smile again. Her hands released my breasts and wandered down to undo the button of my pants and open the zip. When Sam slipped one hand into my pants and found out the state I was in, I could feel her smile turn into a broad grin against my skin. I was breathing quickly. But before anything could happen, she pulled her hand out again and stood up. I looked at her, confused. Her grin hadn't disappeared when she grabbed the hem of my pants, and pulled them and my knickers down my legs in a rapid (yet careful) movement. She kissed gently up my legs. I was quivering with anticipation when her mouth moved over my thighs. But when she reached my hips, she just placed a kiss on the mons before pulling the thong panties up my legs and into place. I looked at her, flustered and confused.

She just took my hands. "C'mon, stand up." She pulled me off the bed. She grabbed the dress, gesturing for me to raise my arms. She slid it over my body, and took a step back to admire the view. The dress didn't reach my knees, and the V-cut finished almost at the bottom of my breasts, exposing a lot of cleavage for her to ogle.

I didn't know what was happening. "Sam! What are you doing?! Why are you teasing me all day long?" My voice might have sounded a bit desperate at that point.

She grinned. "I don't know _what_ you're talking about." She kissed my burning cheek. "Oh, I also bought you some flat, black designer boots. Wouldn't want to impair your fighting abilities too much with high heels, would we?" She left me standing there, with a worse tingling between my thighs, and went to dress herself in a silver dress. She slipped on some high heels, made me put on the boots, grabbed our coats and ushered me out of the flat.

It was only a short walk to the nightclub. And I got nervous as we approached. I'd learnt to deal with most of my problems, but I still wasn't too fond of large groups of people- especially in small places. After we'd been let in, and checked in our coats, I froze. The dance floor was bursting with people already; a sea of bodies moving to the waves of strobe lights and heavy basses of loud music, smoke snaking between their legs. It was hypnotizing... and frightening. I started to sweat, drawing quick breaths, my hands clenched to fists. _No, no. Don't panic._

Suddenly I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I turned sideways, to see Sam smiling at me. She leant forward to kiss my cheek and I started to relax again. "Sweetie, it's okay. Come on." She took my hand and lead me through a passageway, which emerged into a decently lit restaurant with a long bar along one wall. Most of the tables were occupied, and the sound of mingled chit-chat was louder than the music seeping in from the dance floor. I felt very uncomfortable standing around in this skimpy dress Sam had _forced_ onto me. I hadn't thought much about it when I'd still been wearing the coat and had been rather preoccupied with worrying about the number of people I'd expected to encounter in this night club. But now I felt oddly self-conscious, afraid people would stare at me, ogle me. A slight blush spread over my cheeks.

A waiter apporached us and showed us to the table Sam had booked. While we waited for the meals we had ordered, Sam brought us cocktails from the bar. Nightclubs and dancing were a big part of her world. She loved that, enjoyed that. And it showed. She moved slightly to the rhythm of the music and smiled at me with a profound happiness, walking back to the table. She looked so beautiful. It made me smile.

"Hey hey, someone seems to be relaxing! Even without gallons of alcohol. Why's that?" She asked cheerfully while putting the cocktails on the table.

"Your happiness is contagious."

She beamed at me. "Obviously." She paused for a moment. "You know, I don't want to get us drunk tonight, anyway. I just want to enjoy the evening with you, and remember it tomorrow."

That worked for me. I preferred to keep control of my senses, anyway. I wondered if I would be able to relax, though. Sam usually needed to fill me up for that to happen in nightclubs. "I guess you'll have to deal with my sober dancing then."

She gave me a mock horrified look. "Well, there are states between stone-cold sober and dead drunk. So... Cheers!" With that she raised her cocktail, and poured it down her throat in one go. I followed suit and emptied my glass. "Besides, you don't even have to dance, and you'd still look awesome on the dance floor. You look _so_ hot in that dress." She bit her lip, looking me up and down from across the table.

"Well, I'm glad _you_ enjoy the view," I replied, blushing slightly. I smiled at her, taking her left hand to kiss it. My eyes rested on the golden ring for a while.

I still could hardly believe that she actually said yes to my proposal a week ago. I'd been so unsure about the whole thing. I'd been very sure that _I_ wanted it. But we'd never spoken about anything of that sort, so I had no idea how she would react. Every time I looked at the ring on her finger, I felt incredibly happy.

I turned her hand around and rested my head in it, while she stroked my cheek with her thumb.

It wasn't long before a waiter brought us our meals, which we bolted down within a few minutes. We hadn't realized how hungry we'd been until we had food in front of us.

"Let's grab some more drinks before we hit the dance floor," Sam said and pulled me towards the bar, where we downed another pair of cocktails. I was not an avid drinker, so the cocktails in combination with the beer from the Nine Bells was starting to make me tipsy. Sam put an arm around my waist and led me towards the dance floor.

"We haven't been dancing in _ages_. I am _soooo_ looking forward to this." She said and beamed at me. Her happiness really was contagious. I had to smile. But the louder the electronic music got, the more afraid of the masses of dancing people I became. But I wasn't going to ruin Sam's evening. I watched her smile, her eyes, her cheeks, her cute nose, her swaying strands of hair. Before we entered the floor, she noticed I was glancing at her. She gave me a quick kiss and led me onto the dance floor. Still absorbed by Sam's beauty, I hardly noticed the moving limbs I bumped into. We came to a halt at a spot in the back of the area, where there was enough room for both of us. It only took a few moments before Sam started moving to the rhythm of the music. It always surprised me how she did that, and how natural it looked. She looked fantastic; dancing, radiating joy and energy. It was sexy. Me, on the other hand… I was certainly _not _a dancer. I'd thought the problem was that I always had a hard time just letting go. Especially in such surroundings. Sam waved her arms at me, inviting me to dance. I sighed, and tried to force myself to move to the beat. I just had to let go, let the music lead me, and not think carefully about every movement I made. Why was that so hard? When she noticed that I still wasn't dancing, Sam pouted at me for a moment, and then came closer to me. She put her arms around my neck and moved her body against mine. It was captivating. And so sexy. I couldn't focus on anything but Sam, her movements, her body against mine, her breasts in her silver dress dragging over my torso. It was turning me on again. The smoke around her feet, how she was lit by the disco lights - it was hypnotizing. I felt my body starting to move in tandem with her. The music was so loud, yet I could hardly hear it. It wasn't the music that made me move, it was Sam. She grinned ear-to-ear. We were dancing, together.

We were both sweating heavily when Sam indicated that she needed a break. I didn't know how long we'd been dancing. She dragged me off the dance floor and back to the bar in the restaurant for another cocktail. She grinned at me. "Lara, oh my god, that was great! I've never seen you dance like that. That was _so_ hot!" I felt a bit proud of myself.

"I'm not done with you yet, though." she told me, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards a staircase leading down. It emerged into a second dance floor, under the one we'd been dancing on. It was not as packed, the light was dim and the music slower, calmer. I guessed this floor was for couples. She dragged me towards a corner in the back of the area again, where we had enough space, and only few people around us. Sam threw her arms around my neck and started moving to the rhythm of the music. I tried to follow suit, but could only manage a kind of swaying movement. "I'm enjoying myself so much," Sam said to me with a grin. The music wasn't as loud on this floor, so she was actually able to communicate properly with me.

"As weird as this may sound, coming from me... I'm actually having fun, as well." I told her.

She beamed at me before biting her lip for a moment. "You looked sooo hot up there." She came closer and wrapped her arms around my head. I had already been turned on by her all day long and was still intoxicated by our dancing, so when she started kissing me affectionately, it was making me breathless instantly. I was so hungry for Sam.

She tilted my head backwards to kiss my chin and neck. "Are you going to tease me again? I swear, I am going to ravage you right here on the dance floor if you do that again." She stopped kissing and laughed into my shoulder.

"Lara, I am sorry. I am so, so sorry," she said while giggling. "That was a horrible idea."

She watched me for a while, absently playing with my ponytail behind me while we kept moving to the music. "Just once... I wanted to make you feel how _you_ make _me_ feel on like... a daily basis." She put her head back on my shoulder and giggled again. After she'd pulled herself together, she continued. "I wish I could make you see yourself through my eyes." She sighed, still smiling, "my god, Lara, you are so beautiful. You turn me on so easily. You drive me absolutely crazy."

I laughed once. "I'm sorry, Sam."

She sighed into my ear. "Sweet torture." She placed gently kisses down to my shoulder.

My skin was more responsive than usual to her gentle kissing at that point. I got goosebumps. I was quivering. This had to stop. I made her face me. My cheeks were burning again. "Please, Sam, don't. I feel like I am about to..." She didn't let me finish. She just pressed her lips on mine, muffling my attempts to make her stop. She was as hungry as I was. We kissed vigorously, swaying to the beat of the music. Her hands moved down my back and grabbed my behind over the dress.

She broke the kiss. "Unfortunately, I'm teasing myself just as much as I'm teasing you. Oh, my god, I want you so much." She started placing kisses all over my face and down my neck, her hands slowly moving from my backside to my waist, and up to cup my breasts.

It felt so good. I wanted her. But we were still standing on a bloody dance floor. This was a bad idea. "Sam, please- don't." I looked around us while Sam was still kissing my neck. The light was very dim, I could hardly make out the couple closest to us and it did not look like anyone was aware of us. But I was worried that would change. Before I could think about it much more, Sam pulled me back into a kiss. After a while, she leaned back a bit to watch me, while one of her hands moved down my leg. She slid it under the dress and moved it slowly upwards on the inside of my thighs. My legs were shaking at that point. I was breathing quickly, my cheeks were burning. When she placed her hand between my legs, I bit my lip to suppress a groan. Sam smiled at me mischievously. She started rubbing the wet fabric of my soaked panties into me. This... this was too much. I had to put my head onto her shoulder, breathing heavily into it, my arms still wrapped tightly around her. A few moments later, I was biting my lip so hard that I felt a sharp pain. Afraid that I would hurt myself, I released my lip reflexively and instantly let out a long moan into Sam's shoulder. She shuddered.

"Wow. I could've almost come from that myself." Sam sounded breathless, "it's always such a massive turn on when my badass Lara is melting in my arms."

Listening to her being turned on like that added to my own feelings. I wanted to hear more of it. I moved one of my shaking hands down her body, and Sam gasped when I slid it under her dress and into her knickers. I started moving my fingers to the rhythm of Sam's. "Oh, Lara..." she sighed into my ear.

Hearing the sounds she was making beside me now, it didn't take long before I came heavily against her; I kept having waves and waves of it, crying out into her shoulder with each of them, releasing the feeling Sam had been building up all day in me. When it was over, I couldn't move at all for a minute. I just leant against her, panting, my heart pounding against my ribs. After I'd regained control of my legs, I straightened my back to kiss Sam, resuming the movement of my fingers in her underwear. Apparently she'd been on edge herself. Just a few moments later, she wrapped her arms tightly around my shoulders, opened her mouth, parting my lips with hers and moaned loudly into me. Her body shuddered. Afraid her legs would give in, I held her steady against me.

After she'd been able to calm down her breathing, she could only say "Woah."

"I can't believe we just did that. On a bloody dance floor." I told her nervously.

"I know, right? That was awesome!" She grinned at me.

I gulped. "I'm afraid to look around. People might have been staring at us." I pressed my eyes shut.

She turned her head away from me. "No worries, sweetie. No one noticed us, as far as I can tell."

"Sam?"

"Hm?"

"If you ever tease me again like that, I am going to kill you." I was smiling, though.

She grinned. "I should probably fear for my life. Though, I feel like I am going to collapse soon, anyway. God, that was great." She looked exhausted.

"You should work on your fitness."

She rolled her eyes at me. Suddenly a display on the front wall came to life, starting a countdown of one hour.

"I guess that's our cue to take a break at the bar, and then head out." Sam told me with a nod towards the monitor. She put an arm around my shoulders. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to walk towards the exit of the dance floor, but she didn't move. "Ugh, I don't suppose you have a Himiko somewhere that I can use to make you carry me?"

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Wow, Sam. You are such a weakling."

She gave me a mock-insulted look and stormed off on wobbly legs. I quickly caught up to her, swung her arm back around my neck and picked her up effortlessly. Sam shrieked and then started to laugh. I tried hard to look as serious as possible, but she couldn't stop giggling while I carried her up the staircase. We drew the attention of everyone we passed. "My heroine!" She said theatrically when I put her down on a bar stool, and placed a kiss on my cheek.

We ordered some drinks and sat at the bar for a while to recover from our adventures on the dance floor. Eventually, we went to grab our coats, and left the nightclub. The streets were bursting with people as we made our way closer to the Thames. When we found a spot from which we had a nice view of the London Eye and Big Ben. We stood there, arms wrapped around, waiting for the show to begin.

I sighed, thinking back at all of the events that had happened that day. Sam hugged me closer to her, and I winced as she pressed her hand into the spot where one of the drunkards had punched me.

She looked at me alarmed. "Lara, are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's nothing. Just... could you place your hand a little lower?"

She knew why I said that. "Oh, sorry," she apologized with her eyebrows up.

I leaned my head against hers and sighed again. "What a day..."

She laughed once. "Yeah... Geez, those drunks. But, wow, you manhandled them."

"Pff, that was nothing. That flashback was more a piece of work than them." Sam winced as I mentioned that. I looked at her and said "I'm sorry I put you through that."

"Don't say that. I told you, I want to be there for you. And you know that." She placed a kiss on my forehead. "I love you, Lara, I love you so much." She held her left hand in front of me and paused, looking at it for a moment. "It was the happiest day of my life when you gave me that ring. Seriously. I've been so in love with you, for so long. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. No matter what happens, I want to be there for you."

It felt so good hearing her say that. I kissed her cheek and whispered, "Thank you, Sam."

We stood there silently for a while, watching the hustle around us, until we could hear the first toll of Big Ben. When the large digits projected on to the tower of the Shell Centre reached ten, we joined in with the countdown the masses of people around us shouted into the night. I hugged Sam closer to me and leant my head against hers as we watched the colourful fireworks unfold around the huge Ferris wheel to the chimes of the bell inside the Clock Tower.

When the massive spectacle ebbed down, I sighed and told Sam "You know, I think I had enough fireworks and explosions last year."

She snorted. "Yeah... Last year surely has thrown a lot at us. But I have a feeling this year is going to be awesome. And I'm looking forward to spending it with you." After a pause, she added, "and I can't wait for our wedding. It's totally going to be the best ever." With that she pulled me into a firm hug and kissed me gently.

I hugged her closer to me. "No matter what this year has in store, I'm happy you'll be there with me. It's all I want. I love you, Sam."

She smiled at me. "Happy new year."


	4. 12th January

Thanks a lot to TeenyTinyIrishPerson for beta reading!

* * *

><p>I'd been brooding over my research all morning, hitting several dead ends along the winding way. When my groaning had become too loud for Sam to concentrate on her own work, she'd decided for both of us that it was time for a break. She'd announced that she needed to do some shopping and talked me into accompanying her. Standing in the living room with a large window next to her, she'd checked her mobile phone for the weather and declared we'd take the Tube.<p>

Sam not wanting to drive? At that point I should have become suspicious, but I guess I'll never learn.

She asked me to grab my rucksack and pulled me out of the flat. With arms wrapped around each other, we walked towards the nearby subway station. The weather had cleared up over the last few days, but the temperature had dropped, so we were both wearing gloves and scarves. But it was early afternoon, so the sun was still shining and warming us. Sam seemed oddly cheerful. I mean, it certainly wasn't odd in itself that she was cheerful, because that was her default mood. But I thought I could make out a hint of excitement in her. When she noticed me glancing at her, she gave me a broad smile and kissed my cheek.

"Is something up that I'm not aware of?" I asked her.

"Maybe," she said in a weird tone that sounded almost like a question.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

She just grinned, hugged me closer to her and kept walking. Oh, well. I didn't mind her having her little secrets. It usually meant that she planned on trying to get me to do something that I would never agree to under normal circumstances; but when were circumstances ever normal when Sam was involved? What mattered was that it made her happy, and there was always a charming beauty in her happiness that I just loved. It made me smile.

We entered the subway station and found an unusually large number of people on the platform. The way Sam glanced at them, I knew something was up. "What's going on, Sam?"

She just grinned.

Okay, I kind of had enough of her secretiveness at that point. I was curious. I took out my phone and googled for what could have been happening that day in London. I heard her giggle while I was staring in disbelieve at the screen. "No. _No._ You can't be serious. Annual No Trousers Subway Ride 2014? You have to be kidding me! Why would we take part in something like that?"

She snatched the phone from my hands and read, "'The mission started as a small prank and has grown into an international celebration of silliness, with dozens of cities around the world participating each year.'"

_'Mission for silliness.'_ Yeah, that sounded like something Sam would do.

I took my phone back and read a bit further. "'Do not talk to others once you enter the station. Nobody knows each other.' That works for me," I said, directing a grim stare at Sam.

When the noise of an incoming train became louder, I toyed with the idea of just leaving the station. But looking at Sam, who was still smiling happily at me, I felt guilty just for playing with that thought. I remembered what I had done to her recently, what I had put her through. My stomach dropped and I sighed deeply. This was my just punishment, I figured. The train stopped and the many people on the platform spread out into every carriage. Sam grabbed my hand and pulled me into one in the middle. Several people, who had entered with us, casually took off their trousers, stashed them in rucksacks, briefcases and bags and sat down, looking completely serious. I got nervous. Sam pushed me away from the door and towards a few free seats. I blushed deeply, when she suddenly pulled down her own jeans in front of me in the middle of the carriage. Holding her trousers in her arms, she looked at me sheepishly.

"Please, don't," I whispered, putting a hand over my eyes.

"Hooo, yes," she said and came closer. I could hear the grin in those words. Putting a hand under my chin, she lifted my head up and gave me kiss, when suddenly the train started to move. Sam shrieked, but I quickly grabbed a handrail and wrapped an arm around her, holding her steady against me.

"My heroine!" She said, planting a kiss on my cheek while fumbling with the button of my trousers.

"That's how you thank me?" I asked with a deadpan.

She just grinned, pushed me down into the seat behind me and pulled my trousers down over my legs. I put my hand back over my eyes, making a mental note to look through Father's notebook for an artefact that can make me invisible. Sam sat down next to me, took the rucksack off my back and stowed our trousers in it. Peeking out between fingers, I looked down at my black knickers and then at the other passengers. We've drawn the attention of most of them, even of several trouser-less ones. "You're going to be the death of me," I murmured. Realizing too late what I'd just said, I looked at her, alarmed. But she just giggled at my reaction, wrapped an arm around me and leant her head on my shoulder.

A young man and woman came over from the other end of the carriage and set down across from us. Neither of them were wearing trousers, either. They whispered briefly with each other, looking at Sam and me. This was beyond awkward.

"Hello, you're Lara Croft, aren't you?" The man asked.

Alarmed, I looked at Sam. "Yes, she is," she replied for me, smiling. Oh god, couldn't she just give me a break for once? I pinched her behind in revenge, making her shriek and giggle.

The trouser-less pair looked amused. "That's so cool. That someone like you takes part in the event today," said the woman.

I raised my eyebrows. "Someone like me?"

"You know, someone as known as you. Or notorious as you," she explained with a smile.

"I know, right? And completely voluntarily, too!" Sam said. I groaned, rolling my eyes.

"Can my friend take a picture of me with you, please?" The man asked me. My eyebrows shot up even higher and I looked down at my knickers and bare legs again.

Sam snorted. "Don't disappoint the one fan you have," she said grinning and moved to make space next to me, waving the guy over.

I sighed as he took a seat next to me. He put an arm around my shoulders and grinned at his friend. My eyebrows were still up when she took a picture of us with her mobile phone. "Awesome, thanks a lot," he said, hugged me briefly and went back to his friend.

"My pleasure... I guess," I said hesitantly and glanced at Sam. She giggled and sat down next to me again.

"I don't believe anything the gossip press apparently 'knew for sure' about you," the woman said.

"Hah, I told you often enough that there's no need to be all emo about it." Sam poked my shoulder and then added, directed at the trouser-less pair, "Lara is a very lovely person." She put a hand on my bare leg.

I smiled, wrapped an arm around Sam and hugged her. "She has a full time job as my personal moral boost." I planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Aww," I heard the man say.

Our conversation was interrupted when the train slowed down and came to a halt. When the hustle of exiting and boarding people ebbed down, a man who sat close to us stood up and walked past us. Suddenly, he grabbed my rucksack and ran out of the carriage. I was confused. "Did he just...?" No way, did I really have to run after that guy _without trousers on?_ I shot up from my seat, put my hands into the closing door of the train and pried it open with a single tug. I sprinted up the stairs ahead of me. At the top, I turned left and right, looking for the thief. I saw him turn into another passage and ran after him. When I turned around the corner, I saw he had already gone up another staircase and was just leaving the station, running through a group of people walking by the exit. I stopped halfway up the staircase and stared at the entrance of the subway station in disbelieve. _No no no._ This couldn't be happing. I was _not_ going to run through the city without trousers. A man was watching me with his eyebrows up while going down the stairs. I scrunched up my face and looked down at my bare legs. "He stole my trousers..." I murmured and sighed. I heard the clicking noise of a mobile phone behind me.

I turned around and saw Sam at the bottom of the stairs, pointing her phone at me. "I guess he caught you with your pants down." She grinned.

I groaned. "Sam..."

She narrowed her eyes at the screen of her phone. "God, your ass is _so_ amazing." A young couple came down the stairs, watching us curiously.

"Sam!"

Her phone clicked again. "Hooo, yeah." She looked up at me. "What? It really is." She looked at the couple that was now passing her. "Don't you agree?" Sam fiddled with her phone for two seconds and then held it out to them.

I was mortified. And was sure I looked as much. The man glanced at the screen and looked up at me. He held his thumb up with a nervous grin. The woman looked at Sam, at the phone and then saw my expression and laughed.

"_Sam!_" I put a hand over my eyes. My cheeks were burning.

She fiddled with her phone some more. "Raider... of... the... lost... pants," she murmured at the speed she typed those words.

This was too much. I sat down and put my head into my hands. The stair was uncomfortably cold but I didn't care.

Sam came up and stood next to me for a while, silently. "I guess this is a bad time to mention that I'm slightly turned on by you running around in your panties."

I groaned again and my head sank down onto my knees. _This girl. Oh. My. God._ "Can't you take anything seriously?" I murmured into my legs.

"What, this? Like," she cleared her throat and continued, trying to mimic my accent, "oh my gosh, that bloody bastard stole my rucksack with one pair of pants! My life is in ruins!" She paused and sat down next to me. "Lara, sweetie. _Who cares_? We'll get you new ones." She gently rubbed my back for a while and planted a kiss on my head. "I'll call us a cab," she whispered, stroking my bare leg.

I sighed. She was kind of right. Sometimes I wished I was a bit more like her.


	5. 14th February

**Ode to Lara**  
><em>(by Samantha Nishimura)<em>

You 'bonny lass' are so badass  
>When you go HAM, giving no damn<br>I am in awe, dropping my jaw

Yet you also are quite shy, though  
>When on your mush you have a blush...<br>You are so cute, and hot to boot

I love all bits of your big tits  
>I'm full of lust for your nice bust<br>Your awesome chest is just the best

And your hot ass is in a class  
>Oh, of its own. It is well known<br>Your sweet booty is a beauty

It'd, by the way, be Fucking A  
>If you could stop to chop and drop<br>Your poor soma into coma

I love your face, it's full of grace  
>You are pretty, at times witty<br>Cunning and smart, with a kind heart

You are my light, are by my side.  
>The sky is blue; when I see you<br>My heart goes boom

Please raid my tomb


End file.
